Fire Damages Offices of Rev. Al Sharpton

Published 1:09 pm, Monday, April 25, 2016

An electrical fire spread Wednesday through the headquarters of the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network, gutting a reception hall one day after Sharpton formally became a Democratic presidential contender in 2004.

Fire investigators were focusing on an extension cord as the cause of the blaze, Chief Fire Marshal Louis Garcia said. A power strip was plugged into the extension cord, which had boxes resting on it, he said.

"It looks like an electrical short," Garcia said.

Fire officials said the reception hall where Sharpton holds weekly rallies and news conferences was gutted. The fire also spread to the third floor, occupied by the Israeli Church of UPK.

A 23-year-old man hanging from a third-floor window was pulled to safety by firefighters and treated for smoke inhalation.

Sharpton toured the damaged offices with a fire marshal after arriving from Washington. He said the blaze would "in no way abate in any shape or form" his run for president.

"These are the people that built the House of Justice, and we will build it again," Sharpton said.

Officials said an office where the group's financial records are kept was mostly spared.

Sharpton spokeswoman Rachel Noerdlinger said the fire was discovered by a National Action Network office manager who heard a popping noise and smelled smoke.